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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27179575">Cosmic Rationale</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SnowLucario/pseuds/SnowLucario'>SnowLucario</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 07:43:10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,948</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27179575</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SnowLucario/pseuds/SnowLucario</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Ash, Dawn, and Lucas are enjoying the Star Festival when tragedy strikes. Now in a different world, with different bodies, they will need to pick up the pieces and work together to defeat a threat that is working to destroy both this new world and the one they hold dear. Is there any cosmic rationale, or is all chaos? Pearlshipping. Mystery Dungeon. Rated T for Teen.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hikari | Dawn/Satoshi | Ash Ketchum</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Cosmic Rationale</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>ASH KETCHUM, 18</p><p>The occasion had arrived.</p><p>As I looked over my two potential dinner jackets, trying to decide which one would be more fitting for the event, I thought about just how special today was.</p><p>It was the day I'd been excited about for a couple of months by this point. Indeed, my entire life had been building towards this one evening.</p><p>Okay, that might have been a bit of an exaggeration, but only a bit. So how could I decide between the red jacket and the green one? For that was the more important question at hand, a philosophical dilemma among those such as "Is there a God?", "Where do we go when we die?", and "Which seat can I take?"</p><p>On top of my nearby bedside table, there was a single Pokeball. This was where I kept my Pikachu, Zeus, resting whenever he needed it. Of course, tonight he would not be resting; he'd be enjoying the festivities along with me and Dawn.</p><p>Dawn Coventry...she wasn't part of the popular clique at our high school, but we'd been good friends throughout elementary school. While we'd gone to different middle schools, we'd ended up meeting each other again starting in 9th grade.</p><p>Now, we were both 18 years of age, seniors in high school, and I had finally worked up the courage to ask her out on a date of sorts, something I'd been scared to do for the longest time. I justified this by telling myself that it wasn't really a date; we would only be hanging out.</p><p>The truth of the matter was, I'm not exactly the dating "type". While most of the boys in my grade had romantic partners, I wasn't one of them. I had never been one of them, for I just didn't seem to "get" it, romantically speaking.</p><p>I'd never been able to ask a girl out. I'd considered doing it a few other times during high school, but I had never been able to overcome the figurative Butterfrees in my stomach. This time had been a little different; I'd simply taken the plunge before I could think too much about it.</p><p>To use one analogy, it was much like sitting at a high-stakes poker table with a hand that might win, but it also might not. Sometimes you have to be flat-out daring, stick all your chips in, and let whatever happens, happen. This felt like one of those cases.</p><p>Within an hour, Dawn had replied to my test in the affirmative, which had warmed my heart to no small degree. She'd said yes! She'd really said yes!</p><p>I didn't try to overthink it. Maybe she thought it was supposed to be a date, maybe she didn't. Either way, I knew I'd have a great time at the Pastoria Star Festival.</p><p>The Pastoria Star Festival was held every year on Christmas Eve in a large field right next to the harbor. They had ice sculptures, delicious food, and a giant Christmas tree with lights in a veritable rainbow of colors. I could practically taste the dishes and hear the Christmas carols being sung from here.</p><p>Shaking myself out of my reverie, I eventually settled on the green dinner jacket. If I combined it with a red dress shirt, I figured it would look pretty festive, and that was part of what I was going for.</p><p>Will she think I look good? Will she have a good time?</p><p>Those questions were at the front of my mind as I left the room, carrying the Pokeball with me and heading into the kitchen.</p><p>Along the way, I saw my mother. Her name is Delia Ketchum, and she's one of the kindest women you'll ever meet. I loved her dearly, and I knew she felt the same way about me.</p><p>At present, my mother was making pigs in a blanket for her book group, which was meeting at my home that night. Even though I was legally an adult now, I'd still asked for permission from her to go to the event, because that's just the type of son I was.</p><p>"Have a great time at the festival, Ash!" she exclaimed when she saw me walk into the kitchen. "And make sure Dawn does, too".</p><p>I nodded, smiling. "Don't worry", I replied. "That will be my highest priority".</p><p>"I'll see you at ten. Stay safe, and make sure to treat her right, okay?"</p><p>Make sure to treat her right. Does she think that we're a couple? Or am I reading too much into this?</p><p>"I will. And I'll stay safe as well. The roads shouldn't be too slick, should they be?"</p><p>My mother shook her head. "I think you'll be fine. I know that you're a responsible driver. But, like I said, see you at ten".</p><p>After giving her a good-bye kiss on the cheek, I took the keys to my car and left through the back door.</p><p>The snow-covered neighborhood I lived in, a suburb of Pastoria City on the Sinnoh Continent, was basking in the last light of the winter sunset. I got in my car and started driving to the festival.</p><p>Dawn had texted me before the event, telling me that she'd be driving herself to the festival and therefore I didn't have to pick her up. I was somewhat relieved about this, because she lived on the opposite side of town from me and I didn't want to spend more time driving than I had to.</p><p>I kept my Pokeball in the passenger seat, along with my wallet. While the food and drink at the festival was free once you got in, the admission cost a pretty penny. There had been a few cases in past years of wallets being stolen at the festival, but it wasn't a common event, so I wasn't too worried. Even so, I'd hold it close at all times, just the way I'd always been taught to.</p><p>The drive to the Star Festival, located at a place called Century Park was uneventful. It was roughly half an hour from my house along the parkway under normal conditions, with that time being extended in the likely event of heavy traffic. While there were more than a few red lights along my way, the traffic wasn't that bad.</p><p>Along the way, the sky got darker and darker, until there was only an orange streak along the horizon, and then, nothing. There was something magical about a winter sunset, at least in my eyes.</p><p>I arrived at Century Park fifteen minutes before the festival opened, so I waited in my car for the next few minutes. I let my Pikachu out of his Pokeball so that he could enjoy the view, and also because I wanted a chance for conversation.</p><p>"Welcome back to the real world, Zeus" I told him as soon as he was facing me.</p><p>I saw a trace amount of electricity spark out of Zeus' nose, and I knew I had to be careful. If you get too close to a Pikachu experiencing a strong emotion, you're very likely to get an electric shock, the degree varying according to just how strong that emotion is.</p><p>"The place inside the Pokeball is the real world too, you know!" Zeus replied, clearly trying to sound angry without actually being angry, if that makes any sense at all.</p><p>I shook my head. "You know what I mean, Zeus".</p><p>After making small talk for a couple of minutes, I decided to get out of my car and look for Dawn. Now that the sun had gone down, it was quite dark and cold outside, and, in spite of the city lights, I could see stars overhead.</p><p>I'm not saying I'm going to ask Dawn to date me right now, I thought. But if I were going to, this is where and how I'd do it.</p><p>From the parking lot, I could see that the line to get in was pretty long. I wondered if I should have arrived earlier, but there was no changing the past.</p><p>I found Dawn without much trouble; she had evidently just arrived as well. She got out of her car, carrying a Pokeball that belonged to her Pokemon partner, a Piplup named Kalo. Zeus followed me as I walked over to her.</p><p>Dawn was tall and skinny, with a white winter hat and long, flowing blue hair. Her eyes were the same color as her hair and shone brightly against the lights of the festival.</p><p>"Good evening, Ms. Coventry" I told her, reaching out my right hand for her to shake.</p><p>Dawn chuckled. "Don't be so formal, Ash. You can just call me Dawn".</p><p>Both of us laughed, and we got a peculiar look from someone in the line. I didn't care about that, though, and neither, it seemed, did Dawn.</p><p>After we reached the front of the line and paid for our tickets, I looked down at Zeus and saw that his mouth was agape.</p><p>"Wow. This is really the Star Festival!"</p><p>I gave him a funny look. "You've been to the festival before, Zeus. What surprises you this time?"</p><p>"Everything just looks so much more spectacular," my Pikachu replied.</p><p>"You know", Dawn said, "Zeus is right. I went to the festival once before, and it wasn't this amazing last time".</p><p>As I feasted my eyes on the ice sculptures, I saw that both of them were correct. The ice sculptures appeared to be greater, both in number and in grandeur. Not only that, but right in the middle of the park, there was something that I was 100% certain hadn't been there last year.</p><p>It was a giant fountain, with a radius of ten feet or so, and made entirely of densely packed snow and ice, that spewed out a brown liquid that smelled like hot chocolate. The lights from all around cast color on the fountain, turning it red and blue and yellow and green.</p><p>I was in total awe at the feat of sculpting that was the hot chocolate fountain. I wondered how the drink would stay hot in the ice fountain, but asking around would probably get me nowhere.</p><p>"Well, I guess it was well worth the price, then" I said. "Let's go find a table and get some food". My mouth was watering at the prospect.</p><p>Dawn released Kalo the Piplup from his Pokeball, and the four of us went to look for a nice spot to sit. Eventually, we settled on a table right next to the water's edge, from which we could see the other side of Pastoria Harbor, with its massive shipyard that carried goods and passengers to faraway lands.</p><p>"Hey, guys!" a male voice exclaimed. I couldn't see the source, but I knew instantly who it was.</p><p>"Lucas!" Dawn exclaimed. "I didn't know you were coming!"</p><p>My friend Lucas stepped into view. He was slightly shorter than Dawn and wore a beret on his head. He was dressed in a bright red parka and followed by a Lucario.</p><p>The three of us had been pretty good friends for years. We had our arguments, but any healthy friendship can expect to have a few.</p><p>Each of us had received our Pokemon partners at the age of 10, the minimum age to become a trainer. Lucas' was a Lucario by the name of Requiem. To this day, I still didn't understand how he'd managed to get a Lucario as his first Pokemon, because that species wasn't a typical starter.</p><p>Of course, on this Christmas Eve night, this was far from my foremost concern. Lucas' next words brought me right back down to Earth.</p><p>"Of course, Dawn. You know that I never miss the Star Festival!"</p><p>Dawn smiled. "Well, of course; how could I forget? In any case, you can hang out with us. There's room for six at this table, and you and Requiem make six".</p><p>After making some small talk about how the first few days of Christmas vacation had gone, we went over to the buffet table (which was also made of ice) and got plates. There were many beautiful dishes; fried chicken, grilled chicken, chicken salad, steak, ham, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, sandwiches and wraps of several different varieties, and salads.</p><p>On a separate table, there were also dishes for Pokemon to eat, and Zeus, Kalo, and Requiem headed over there to get some food for themselves.</p><p>As we served ourselves, the music started playing, and it was one of my favorite songs: "Ghost Ship of Cannibal Rattatas" by Billy Talonflame. In my opinion, it wasn't the best song for dancing, but that didn't stop several people from hitting the dance floor, mostly couples in their late teens and early twenties.</p><p>While I was serving myself a ladle of macaroni and cheese, I felt it. The first sign that this evening would be less than perfect.</p><p>The sensation I experienced was not one of physical pain. That would definitely have been preferable at that moment.</p><p>Instead, I felt a surge of fear. There was nothing tangible around me that posed a threat, but I instantly felt my heart stop for an instant.</p><p>I dropped the ladle back into the pasta, completely in shock. I must have been staring pretty hard into space, because the man behind the buffet table looked at me angrily.</p><p>"It's not polite to stare, young man" he said curtly. "If you behave badly, you will be ejected from the Star Festival and not permitted to return".</p><p>"Sorry...was just thinking about...stuff".</p><p>Dawn and Lucas both looked at me with concerned expressions as I moved on from the macaroni and cheese and towards the sandwiches. I gave them a look that intended to convey the following message:</p><p>Don't worry about me. I'll tell you later. Just enjoy the evening.</p><p>When the six of us met up back at the table, however, the festival seemed to be the last thing on Dawn's mind.</p><p>"What was wrong back there, Ash?" she asked me. "You seemed completely out of it. That's not like you!"</p><p>Lucas nodded. "Ash, you normally seem to have such a zest for life. You're usually full of energy, but you just looked...I dunno, worried".</p><p>I felt my face become hot, but not out of embarrassment, moreso out of mild anger.</p><p>"I'm fine", I replied. "Just thinking about some stuff, that's all".</p><p>I have to think of something quickly, just in case they press me further.</p><p>Fortunately, they didn't appear to want to press me further, which was a huge relief. It meant that I could finally dig into the food I'd selected for myself: Macaroni and cheese and a chicken Caesar wrap.</p><p>As we ate, I heard Requiem the Lucario tell Kalo the Piplup a funny story he'd heard about a Fennekin evolving into a Braixen while ice skating on the lake not far from where Lucas lived. All of us began laughing, because the way Requiem told that story was at least as funny as the story itself.</p><p>Lucas' partner had been drinking hot chocolate as he was telling the story, and as Requiem laughed, some of the drink went up his nose. For me, the story served as much-needed comic relief, because I still couldn't fully understand the anxiety.</p><p>As I was biting into my wrap once more, I felt it again. This time, it was more intense, and could be accurately described as "a sense of impending doom". It caused me to spit out the chicken and lettuce, and look down at my plate.</p><p>Dawn's gray eyes widened significantly. "Are you sure you're okay, Ash? Are you choking?".</p><p>I shook my head, then nodded. "I'm okay" I replied weakly. "Just...stuff is going on".</p><p>The conversation had run into some very rough waters now, and this was evidenced by Lucas' facial expression turning into one of utter surprise.</p><p>"It's the night of the Star Festival! Tomorrow's Christmas! This should be one of the happiest days of the year; you certainly treat it as such. So why are you so worried?"</p><p>My heart was beating quickly as I responded. "I'm not sure" I said, figuring that this was the most honest answer I could give. "I'm just experiencing an immense amount of anxiety right now".</p><p>There. I said it.</p><p>Dawn stood up from her chair and walked over to mine. "I'll give you a hug if you want. In a friendly way, of course, not a…".</p><p>"I get it". Dawn's words caused me to blush a little, and my heart rate to increase further. Does she like me back?</p><p>I shook my head. I couldn't worry about that right now. All I wanted to know was why the anxiety was hammering me like this.</p><p>Fortunately, the sense of impending doom did abate after a minute or so, and then I went back to my food as though nothing had happened. I was acutely aware of Dawn and Lucas occasionally glancing at me with some level of concern, as well as Zeus practically staring at me as he ate up his Pokemon burger.</p><p>I was the first one to finish eating, upon which I told my companions that I would walk around for a bit. I used the excuse of needing fresh air, which, in hindsight, is a pretty flimsy one; we were already outside.</p><p>Even so, neither of them so much as bat an eye as I stood up from the table and headed over to the dance floor.</p><p>The disk jockey, whose name tag identified him as DJ Not Nice (almost certainly a stage name) was currently scrolling through tracks on his computer, dancing in his seat at the same time. The next song up was "Do What You Can" by Bon Jovi.</p><p>I looked once more at the dance floor. I wasn't a particularly good dancer, but then again, it doesn't take that much to be one. Still, I was wary of embarrassing myself in front of Dawn, Lucas, and potentially hundreds of other people.</p><p>As much as I wanted to distract myself by trying to dance, I decided that it wasn't worth it. My anxiety was just too high. And when you're so anxious that you can't even do anything to alleviate your anxiety, that's when it gets bad.</p><p>I'd give anything to be one of those people, just dancing around without a care in the world. I wish I could be among them right now, celebrating life and each other's company.</p><p>But I can't. Because I know, I just know, that something's going to go wrong tonight.</p><p>In addition to the buffet tables and several relatively small sculptures made of ice, there was an enormous pine tree on the far side of the park. It stood thirty feet above the ground, with boughs of needles branching off in many different places. Lights had been draped around it, and were lit at the beginning of the festival.</p><p>You have to admit, if nothing else, this is a little relaxing, isn't it?</p><p>The lights were in five colors: Red, blue, green, purple, and white. They worked their way in a spiral all the way up to the top of the tree, where a golden star had been placed, shining in the moonlight and looking down upon the park.</p><p>I sat down on the nearby bench, but almost immediately stood back up when I realized that the bench, much like almost everything else here, was made of ice. That was a nasty shock, for sure.</p><p>Shivering, I walked around the perimeter of the tree. There were happy couples all around it, chatting with each other about life and celebrating the moment. This should have been a happy sight, but all it did for me was to remind me that I wasn't among them yet.</p><p>Unless I have the courage to ask Dawn out. Would she say yes, though?</p><p>After this festival, of course, we'd go our separate ways, at least for a little while. We'd spend Christmas Day with our own families, and maybe meet up once or twice during the rest of the break. And I'd potentially regret not broaching the question when I had the chance, when I'd been warming myself up to the idea.</p><p>As a general rule, I preferred to live my life with as few regrets as possible. I wanted to take risks, and I wanted to be adventurous. It was why I'd decided to become a trainer all those years ago, even though I hadn't ended up traveling with Zeus.</p><p>I was brave enough to take on a Pikachu and care for him as practically a brother, to deal with all of that emotional baggage that it sometimes brought along. And yet, I couldn't muster the bravery to ask a girl out on a date.</p><p>I mean, I DID ask her to come here, and she said yes. But it's not a date, we're just hanging out!</p><p>Over the next few minutes, as some couples left the dance floor and others returned to it, I continued staring at the top of the tree. I looked at the star almost as though it were the North Star; the guiding light, if you will.</p><p>As the song "Walking on Sunshine" began to play, I knew more and more what I needed to do. I didn't have to do it tonight; I didn't have to ask her tonight, but it was a conversation I would need to have fairly soon with Dawn.</p><p>For I was becoming increasingly convinced that I liked her, and not just in a platonic way. Was I in love? I didn't know, because I'd never felt like this before.</p><p>My heart was racing, and it felt as though there were a million butterflies in my stomach. My face was flushed, although I'm not sure if this was from embarrassment or from...pleasure?</p><p>After that, my internal monologue went something just like this:</p><p>Is this love? Should I ask her to be my...no, that's silly!</p><p>It's risky to ask her that, especially in front of Lucas. I would risk losing not one but two friends. So I'll need to decide if this is a risk that I'm willing to take.</p><p>But maybe she likes me back. And if I never have the nerve to ask, I'll never get to know. It's just like they say, you miss all of the shots you don't take.</p><p>I would ask Dawn out. Maybe not tonight, maybe not tomorrow, maybe not until school started up again in the new year. But it would happen, of that much I was determined.</p><p>As I walked back to the table, I suddenly had a new degree of confidence in myself. I felt a lot happier than I had a few minutes ago, that was for sure.</p><p>"Ah, you're back," Lucas said. "We were a little worried about you".</p><p>"I'm okay," I replied. "I just needed to think about everything". Luckily, both of my human friends seemed to accept that answer.</p><p>Zeus, on the other hand, was a different story. He began nuzzling me in the side, sniffling slightly. I wished he wouldn't do that, because I received a minor electric shock as a result of that.</p><p>"Let's get dessert," Dawn said after a while. "I can't wait to see what they have this year".</p><p>And so we went back to the buffet table, which still had the main courses available. However, a second table had been set up to the side, which held the desserts. Red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting, yellow cake with chocolate frosting, various types of pies, blocks of ice cream in any flavor you could imagine, and tubs of iced fruit...it all looked heavenly, and the sight succeeded in reviving my appetite.</p><p>Once we were back at the table, I dug into a slice of apple pie, atop which I'd put vanilla ice cream. It was even more delicious than I'd been imagining, and I almost wondered if there was something magical to it.</p><p>It's almost as though there is some cosmic plan to everything. On a night as beautiful as this, could I believe that?</p><p>In the middle of eating dessert, I felt it for a third time. This time, the fear was like a knife right through my chest, and I clutched a hand to my ribs like someone having a heart attack might.</p><p>"Okay, something's definitely wrong, Ash" Dawn told me. "You're beginning to look pale, and you seem to be in pain as well".</p><p>I nodded. "I am in pain", I replied. But how could I explain the instinct that told me something was about to go very, very wrong.</p><p>Eventually, the pain went away again, so I continued to eat. However, not two minutes later, a small gust of wind came along.</p><p>At first, I thought nothing of it. In hindsight, I should have realized that this was the first sign of things to come, because there had been no wind whatsoever all evening. However, even if I had known this, there probably wasn't much that I could have done to avert disaster.</p><p>About fifteen seconds after the first gust of wind, there was a much larger gust that ripped against the tablecloth, nearly sending our food and drink careening off the table. At a few other tables, dishes did fall off, and a couple of them shattered.</p><p>It stopped almost as quickly as it began, but Requiem's aura-sensing organs perked up, and an expression of utmost worry appeared on his face.</p><p>"I felt that," he said.</p><p>"Yeah, we all felt it," Lucas replied, sounding a bit exasperated. "That was a pretty powerful wind in the middle of a windless evening".</p><p>"No" Requiem responded. "I mean that I felt hatred. The storm is coming, and it might get loud".</p><p>It couldn't be!</p><p>I'd been checking the weather forecast obsessively leading up to the festival. The night of December 24 was supposed to be clear, cold, and calm. No storms were forecast at all.</p><p>And yet...aura was a powerful thing. It could detect things that the naked eye simply couldn't pick up on. If Requiem said he felt an aura of hatred around the festival, then I knew that danger was coming.</p><p>"What do you mean by storm?" Dawn asked the Lucario, verbalizing my thoughts to a T. "There isn't a cloud in the sky!"</p><p>Right then and there, a huge gust of wind came by, lifting the tablecloth clean off the table, along with all of our dishes. My half-eaten slice of pie unfortunately went to waste.</p><p>This gale-force wind did not go unnoticed by the other patrons of the festival, either. Even those who were dancing, lost in the sound of music, suddenly stopped and turned to face the harbor.</p><p>The storm is coming, and it might get loud. That's what Requiem said, and it seems like it's coming from the harbor!</p><p>A small bright spot up in the sky that I'd mistaken for a star began floating towards Earth quickly, until it was right above the harbor, closer to the ground than the tops of the few skyscrapers that Pastoria City had.</p><p>As the spark, for lack of a better word, passed over the harbor, it kicked up a large wave; so large, in fact, that the wave crashed against the park.</p><p>Kalo looked up at the sky in fear, as did Requiem and even Zeus. Despite being named after a God of the sky, my Pikachu was just as scared as the rest of us.</p><p>"What's that, Ash?" he asked me.</p><p>I didn't know how to answer or even comfort him. All I could do was watch, along with the hundreds of other guests at the Star Festival, as the spark morphed into a golden spiral, which spun around and around to reveal…</p><p>An angel?</p><p>It was a humanoid creature with wings, so I suppose it qualified as angelic. But that's where the similarities ended.</p><p>The creature appeared like a teenage boy in a toga, with white wings that stood in stark contrast to the dark sky overhead. He had messy black hair with specks of snow in it, and stared down the rest of us with a mischievous expression on his face, much like a child stealing cookies.</p><p>And then the creature started laughing. He didn't care that he was about to cause massive damage to the festival. He didn't care that he might even end a few human lives that night. All he seemed to care about was having fun...even if "fun" could be better described as "sowing destruction".</p><p>"Who are you?" Dawn all but yelled. It would have been a much louder scream if she'd been able to muster it; that much I could tell.</p><p>The creature laughed again, and now the whole festival was paying attention and had fallen silent. Even DJ Not Nice had stopped playing music; the party was clearly over.</p><p>"The better question is not who, but what", the creature replied, stretching out his left wing while continuing to hover above the harbor. The wing was at least seven feet long, a good foot taller than the creature it belonged to.</p><p>The entire festival seemed to wait with bated breath for the boy's next words.</p><p>"I am a storm spirit. A Windborn, if you will. And today is the day you'll rue for the rest of your lives! Those of you who survive, that is". He was still grinning gleefully, from ear to ear, as though he were having the time of his life.</p><p>"This festival's over!"</p>
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